


How to Play Your Heart Strings

by BamItsTaeTae



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups & Lee Jihoon | Woozi Friendship, Declarations Of Love, F/M, Falling In Love, First Love, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fluffy Ending, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Lee Jihoon | Woozi-centric, Love Confessions, Producer Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Romantic Fluff, Swooning, jihoon just wants help, no body knows what they're talking about
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-07-17 19:18:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16102094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BamItsTaeTae/pseuds/BamItsTaeTae
Summary: For the first time in a long time, Jihoon has fallen in love.The only problem is, he has no idea how to confess.But surely his members can help him with that.What could go wrong?





	How to Play Your Heart Strings

    Jihoon watched as the girl’s figure grew smaller in the distance, clutching his music sheets tightly in his hands. He wanted to call out to her, make her come back, but a feeling he hadn’t felt in a very long time held him back. She disappeared around the corner at the end of the hall. Jihoon let out a shaky sigh and ran a hand through his hair.

“Crap,” He muttered. “This isn’t good.”

 

 

   If there was one thing in this world that Lee Jihoon could not figure out or understand, it was girls. He didn’t really have any friends that were girls or many female role models. And he had most certainly never had a girlfriend before. It wasn’t that he didn’t like girls or necessarily _wanted_ to be single; it just that dating had never been a priority. He had work, he always had work. In his younger years he had school work and now he had Seventeen related work.

   And yet there he was, feeling his heart beating in his throat as she crossed his mind for the hundredth time that day. It was weird. She was a coworker, a fellow producer, and quite possibly even a friend. But most of all, she was absolutely adorable. She was a whole _inch_ shorter than him. She had big, round, soft eyes that made him want to cry. And she had the best smile he had ever seen in his life. Sometimes it was hard to be around her she was just so bright and friendly. And when she pointed that potent smile of hers at _him_? Instant death.

    Jihoon groaned and rubbed his face violently, trying to rub his troubles away. He could feel his face burning and a set of eyes staring a hole through the back of his head. He swiveled his chair around to see Joshua standing in the doorway to his studio.

“Are you… busy?” Joshua asked, looking slightly confused and a little worried.

“Huh?” Jihoon cleared his throat and sat up. “No, why?”

“I just had a few questions about the album,” Joshua said, stepping in slowly.

“Ask away,”

    Jihoon did his best to listen as Joshua was talking, but all he could think about was her. It had been a painfully long time since Jihoon had realized his feelings for her. And, up until this point, he had done everything possible to suppress those feelings and keep them hidden. It was driving him insane. He couldn’t get any work done or concentrate. Nothing good had come of hiding his feelings. He needed to take action, or he was going to lose his mind. Right then and there, as Joshua continued talking, unaware of the gravity of the moment, Jihoon made the decision that he was going to tell her he liked her. He just needed to know how.

“So, does that make sense?” Joshua finished talking.

“Oh, uh…” Instant guilt hit him as he realized he had been completely zoned out. “I-I, um-”

“You weren’t listening, were you?” Joshua sounded less annoyed and more concerned, which just made Jihoon feel more guilty. “What’s up? You’ve been acting off for a while now.”

“Well,” Jihoon sighed. “You know that producer that recently joined the company?”

“The girl? Oh, what was her name? Misun?” Joshua asked.

“M-Miyoung.” Jihoon felt his heart skip a beat at the mention of her name.

“Yeah, I’ve seen her around.” Then it clicked, and Joshua smiled. “Ooh… do you like her?”

   All Jihoon could managed was a quick nod. Joshua’s smile grew wider instantly. He broke into a giggle and gave Jihoon a playful push. Jihoon huffed, both embarrassed and revealed that someone finally knew.

“Jihoon, that’s so sweet!” He said, cheerfully. “Does she know?”

“N-no,” Jihoon said, playing with the hem of his shirt nervously. “I was actually hoping you could… help me.”

“Oh, me?” Joshua raised his eyebrows. “Um, I guess I could try. I don’t really have that much experience either.”

    Joshua put his head on his palm, furrowing his eyebrows. He was taking it seriously, which Jihoon was grateful for. After careful consideration, Joshua lifted his head again. Jihoon inched forward in his seat, eager for the advice.

“Well, I think the best advice I can give is to just be yourself and let things progress naturally,” He said.

“But…” Jihoon pursed his lips. “For how long? I feel like I’ve been doing that for years.”

“You’ve only known her for a few months.” Joshua said. “I don’t think you should jump in too quickly.”

“Hmm,” Jihoon leaned back in his chair. “I guess…”

Joshua shrugged. “That’s just what I think. You can always ask the other members.”

   Ask the other members? He supposed it couldn’t hurt. Well, at least not _that_ much. He pushed himself up, determination washing over him. He was going to do this, even if it killed him.

 

 

     When it came to big, important, life-changing, and especially potentially embarrassing information, news traveled fast within their group. So, Jihoon was most certainly not surprised when Jeonghan’s eyes grew wide as soon as he entered the room. He patted Seungkwan’s arm hastily, pulling his attention away from the lyrics he was going over. Seungkwan smirked as soon as he saw Jihoon.

“Jihoonie!” Jeonghan sprung up and practically flew across the room. “Is it true?”

“So, then you know?” Jihoon asked.

“That you have a massive, enormous, life-changing crush?” Seungkwan hurried over too. “Duh, of course!”

“Of course.” Jihoon sighed. “Well, then I’ll just get straight to the point. I was hoping you could give me some advice.”

Seungkwan feigned a look of surprise. “So, you’re telling me WOOzi doesn’t know how to woo someone?”

    Jihoon tried to kick him but Seungkwan dodged easily and laughed. Jeonghan ignored him and put both of his hands on Jihoon’s shoulders. Jihoon could have sworn he saw tears in his eyes.

“I knew this day would come.” He patted Jihoon’s head. “You’re an amazing, wonder, adorable, lovable, amazing, great, person Jihoon. I’m sure she’ll fall head over heels for you.”

“Yeah, all you have to do is tell her,” Seungkwan said like it was obvious.

“But, how?” Jihoon asked. “How am I supposed to ask her?”

“Just say ‘I like you. Let’s date’,” Seungkwan said, once again acting like it was a no-brainer.

“Even if she says no, don’t give up.” Jeonghan said, seriously. “I’m positive once you go on one date you’ll be half way down the aisle.”

“I don’t know about that…” Jihoon removed Jeonghan’s hands from his shoulders gently.

“Just be upfront and don’t take no for an answer.” Seungkwan nodded, as if to approve his own advice.

“Okay, well,” Jihoon stepped back towards the door. “Thanks for the advice I guess.”

“Anytime!” Jeonghan smiled as the younger man retreated from the room.

 

 

“You want advice from me?” Soonyoung asked as he wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

“Yeah, if you aren’t too busy,” Jihoon said, feeling a little bad for taking up some of his practice time.

“We’re making good progress.” Soonyoung led Jihoon over to the bench. “I got time.”

“Thanks,” Jihoon said as they sat down.

“But you guys keep working on that last part,” Soonyoung called to the other performance unit members, who hummed a reply in-between gulps of water.

    Soonyoung turned back to Jihoon, contemplating the question as he chugged his own water. His eyes grew wide and he almost choked.

“I have the perfect idea!” He exclaimed, after his coughing fit ended. “You gotta cook for her.”

“Cook for her?” Jihoon titled his head.

“Yeah, like make her something really romantic. Maybe some kind of sweet or something.” Soonyoung was grinning, obviously very excited with his idea. “You could even write some cute little message on it! Something like ‘I like you’ or ‘Will you go out with me?’!”

“Well, it’s not a bad idea,” Jihoon said, not enjoying the way Soonyoung’s face fell. “It’s just I don’t know if I’m good enough at cooking for that.”

“Oh, yeah. I guess that’s true…” Soonyoung pouted slightly.

“What’s all this about?” Minghao asked, wandering over, apparently having lost interest in dancing.

“Probably the girl he likes.” Jun said, following him.

“You like someone?” Chan cried, trailing behind the other two.

“Yeah,” Jihoon shrugged. “I guess.”

“Joshua said he’s totally head over heels for her,” Soonyoung smiled despite the death glare being shot his way. “He’s just not sure how to ask her out.”

“Oh!” Jun wrapped his arm around Minghao and pointed between the two of them. “We can tell her if you’re too scared!”

“That’s okay,” Jihoon stood up. “I’d rather tell her myself.”

Chan called after him as he started to leave. “Wait, hyung! Aren’t you gonna ask me for advice?”

“Maybe when you’re older,” Soonyoung said, standing up to pat him on the head.

 

 

     Jihoon pushed the door to the small room open slowly. Hansol, Wonwoo, and Mingyu all looked up from the complete mess of a table in front of them. Jihoon felt bad for bothering everyone while they were trying to work, but he knew he needed to get this worked out if he was going to be able to concentrate on the comeback.

“Is it alright if I ask you something?” Jihoon asked.

“Oh, believe me,” Hansol straightened up. “You are a _welcomed_ distraction.”

    The other two nodded in agreement, taking the opportunity to stretch their arms a bit. Jihoon took a seat next to Hansol.

“I actually just wanted to talk to Hansol but since you’re together I guess I’ll ask both of you,” Jihoon said, gesturing to Wonwoo.

“Is this about the girl you like?” Hansol asked, a small smile spreading across his lips.

Jihoon paused for a second. “Yeah.”

“You want me and Hansol to give you dating advice?” Wonwoo asked.

“Hey, wait,” Mingyu leaned forward. “What about me? Why aren’t you asking me?”

Jihoon ignored him. “Yeah, any advice would be really appreciated.”

“Jihoon!” Mingyu whined.

    Wonwoo looked over at him as if to say, “Eh, just let it go”. Mingyu pouted and looked back at the work in front of him.

“Well, I’d have to say you should just be honest with her about your feelings,” Hansol said.

Wonwoo nodded in agreement. “Yeah, honesty is important in any relationship; but it’s especially important at the beginning of a romantic relationship.”

“Tell her how she makes you feel,” Hansol said. “What you like about her, why you want to date, you know, be honest.”

    Jihoon nodded slowly, understanding and even agreeing with them. But he could feel butterflies filling his stomach and clogging his throat at the idea of being so upfront with her. He could feel himself getting a little anxious. What if he never told her? What if they just… drifted apart? The thought scared him more than he expected it to.

 

 

      Seokmin gave the vending machine a little shove, almost succeeding in freeing his trapped soda. He gave it a slightly more violent shake. Jihoon wasn’t sure if Seokmin had heard him talking. But he was pretty sure that people died from shaking vending machines like that, so he tapped Seokmin on the shoulder.

“Did you hear me?” He asked.

“Yeah,” Seokmin attempted another little shake. “I’m just dealing with a very serious situation right now.”

“Do you… want me to come back?” Jihoon asked.

“No, you’re good.” Another shove. “My advice would be to bribe her.”

“Bribe her?” Jihoon blinked.

     Seokmin whirled around, seemingly instantly forgetting about his still trapped soda. He looked into the distance dramatically.

“All it takes is one thing.” He put a hand on Jihoon’s shoulder. “Knowledge.”

Jihoon suppressed a laugh. “What are you talking about?”

“Find out what she likes, whether it be anime or socks or Rubik’s cubes, and bribe her with it.” Seokmin explained. “Girls love a man who knows all of their earthly desires.”

“Oh, okay…”Jihoon started to leave. “Good to know.”

     Just then he noticed the one person he had been desperately wanting to ask all day walk past. He gave a little goodbye to Seokmin who had already returned his attention to the vending machine and took off down the hall.

“Seungcheol!” He called.

Seungcheol slowed to a stop, a smile spreading across his face. “Hey, Jihoon-ah. What’s up?”

“I’m sure you’ve heard already but I wanted to ask you for advice about Miyoung.” Jihoon said, catching his breath.

“Actually, I haven’t heard. I’ve been out all day. I just got back  a little while ago.” Seungcheol titled his head a little, retaining the smile. “Who’s Miyoung?”

“Oh,” Jihoon could feel his face beginning to heat up. “She’s the new producer who joined the company a few months ago. I, um, like her.”

“Really?” Seungcheol asked, excitedly. “For how long?”

“A while now,” Jihoon said, sheepishly. “It’s been a struggle keeping it a secret.”

“Aw, you should have told us sooner.” Seungcheol gave him a soft nudge.

“I know,” Jihoon admitted. “But I’ve finally decided that I need to tell her. I’ve been asking all the members for advice on how I should tell her. So, do you have any ideas?”

“Hm,” Seungcheol thought about it for a moment. “You should write her a song.”

Jihoon’s eyes lit up. “A song?”

“Yeah, you’re an amazing composer. I’m sure any girl would love to have their own personal song from you.” Seungcheol said. “You should just write out all your feelings and then sing it for her. I’m sure she’d love it.”

“Yeah,” Jihoon could feel a grin spreading across his face. “It’s perfect! Thank you Seungcheol. You always know what to do.”

“Eh, it’s my job,” Seungcheol laughed. “Go on and make that girl swoon!”

“Will do!” Jihoon took off down the hall.

      This was it. He had what he needed. He could do this.

 

 

“M-Miyoung?” Jihoon’s voice came out a little more unsteady than he would have liked.

“Oh, hey Woozi!” Soft eyes met his and she broke into a smile.

“Um, I-I’ve been working on a new demo and I was wondering if you would like to hear it and tell me what you think,” Jihoon said, trying and failing to remain composed and casual.

“Of course!” Miyoung nodded, making her hair slip into her face. “I’d never miss a chance to hear one of your demos.”

     Jihoon resisted the urge to brush the hair out of her eyes and headed off down the hall. Miyoung followed cheerfully. Jihoon forced himself to slow down when he realized her shorter legs were actually struggling to keep up with him. That was a new feeling. He didn’t mean to rush but he was feeling unbearably jittery. Miyoung was definitely talking about something but Jihoon was pretty sure he had just been transported to another dimension and all he could hear was the pounding of his heart. At last they reached his studio. Miyoung took a seat across from him. Shakily, Jihoon pulled out his guitar.

“You’re going to sing it live for me?” Miyoung asked, mystified.

“Yeah,” Jihoon nodded shyly. “I haven’t really recorded it or anything. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Oh, I don’t mind! This is actually kinda cool.” She said, clearly eagerly anticipating the performance.

     Jihoon cleared his throat and shifted into a more comfortable position. Gently, he began strumming on the guitar. The room was filled with the soft sound of music and Miyoung began to sway slowly. Jihoon felt his heart catch in his throat as he began to sing.

 

       “ _The bliss that resonates in your presence, so softly_

              _Ignites the flame that radiates, deep within my heart_

_From the echoing, echoing words you whispered_

_From the twinkling, twinkling in your eyes_

_I sensed a slight and different movement, overflowing emotions_

_That halo of yours is so **brilliant**_

_Let’s match the cadence of our pulse to the rhythm of our thoughts_

_Between us a thousand sparks fly_ a _nd illuminate the sky,”_

 Miyoung’s eyes grew wide as she listened to him sing, utterly captivated by the sight in front of her. Jihoon could feel her eyes on him, but somehow that just made him pour more emotion in every word he sang. Slowly, the song drew closer to the end, but neither of them wanted the moment to come to an end. Finally, Jihoon sang the final few words.

 

_“You are the light illuminates my night_

_Embracing me with all your might…”_

 

    Jihoon played the final few cords of the song and the room once again sank into silence. He opened his mouth to sing the final few phrases that would complete the song and also make it clear just who he was singing about, but his voice caught in his throat. He wanted to cry. Surprisingly, Miyoung looked just about as close to tears as he felt.

“That was beautiful,” She said, softly. “I thought you said you’d never been in love. That felt too real to not be about someone.”

“I-I hadn’t been in love before-” He looked away, voice slipping to barely above a whisper. “Before I met you.”

“What?” Miyoung’s eyes grew wide again and a blush crept onto her cheeks. “Wait you…”

“I wrote this song… for you.” Jihoon said, forcing himself to look up.

      Their eyes met. Miyoung raised her hand to her mouth, biting on one of her nails. But Jihoon could still see the smile that played on her lips. You might have thought the room was agonizingly warm by how bright red their cheeks were. Eventually, Miyoung broke the silence.

“R-really? You like me?” She asked.

“Yeah, a lot.” Jihoon nodded.

“I’m so happy!” Tears glistened in her eyes. “I’ve like you for so long. But I never thought… you would actually like me too.”

Jihoon couldn’t help grinning. “The feeling was mutual. D-do you want to go out someti-”

“Yes!” Miyoung cut him off, before instantly realizing her overexcitement.

       The two of them broke into laughter, almost high off the joy and excitement they felt. She liked him. Jihoon could barely believe it. But he knew, there was no way he could have done this without his members… the members he could see trying to eavesdrop outside the door. But Jihoon didn’t mind. In fact, he had never felt happier or more overwhelmed with love in his entire life.


End file.
